Freckled Paws Hot Spot product line of pet skin and wound care products has seen double and triple digit growth since they were launched February 2013. We have now come to a crossroad which has initiated a decision, on our part, to focus 100% of our time to growing the product line, from improvements to the products themselves to increasing the number of pets receiving treatment using our products.

We are planning a nationwide tour of the pet expos and conventions along with face to face meetings with veterinarians open to natural treatments, animal shelters, animal rescues and retail stores. The sales push will coincide with our working with the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) to further study and improve our products through the MUMS Program which is part of the F.D.A. Centers for Veterinary Medicine.

Of course, these undertakings will cost money, which is why we are raising funds through IndieGoGo, a very successful Internet fundraising platform. The goals of this fundraising effort are clear:

To treat more pets which would significantly reduce needless suffering and euthanasia due to canine lupus lesions.

Study our product with the goal of increasing the quality and efficacy.

You can help by emailing your friends and mentioning us on your social media sites. There are also share buttons on the fundraising page. Sign in to IndieGoGo and use those buttons to be entered in our referral contest. Link to Fundraiser Page.

Remarkably, for some Blue Buffalo products, chicken/poultry by-product meals comprise upwards of 20% of the product by weight, despite the “NO Chicken Poultry By-Product Meals” wording on the label.

Blue Buffalo’s behavior is unlawful and just plain wrong. Through this legal action, Purina seeks to halt Blue Buffalo’s pattern of false advertising and consumer deception.

Blue Buffalo even has a staff of salespeople who dress similarly to pet store employees and approach consumers in pet store parking lots…

Blue Buffalo has created what it calls “LifeSource Bits” that it represents as being “vitamins, minerals and antioxidants” that are allegedly “cold-formed” pieces of kibble included in its pet food. Blue Buffalo touts its LifeSource Bits as offering a series of special health benefits for pets.

Numerous other Blue Buffalo advertising claims relating to the LifeSource Bits in its pet food are false and misleading. For example, Blue Buffalo claims that its LifeSource Bits contain Taurine “for healthy eyes and heart.” The LifeSource Bits, however, contain little or no Taurine. Likewise, Blue Buffalo touts Vitamin D in the LifeSource Bits “for healthy bones and tissue.” But the LifeSource Bits actually have less Vitamin D than the remaining kibble component. Similarly, Blue Buffalo cites L-Carnitine in the LifeSource Bits “for endurance and fat metabolism.” In actuality, there is little or no L-Carnitine in the Blue Buffalo LifeSource Bits. All in all, Blue Buffalo’s LifeSource Bits are falsely advertised as having many qualities and benefits they simply do not have.

Ordering Defendant to pay Purina:
i. Treble actual damages, costs, and reasonable attorneys’ fees pursuant to 15 U.S.C. 1117;
ii. Blue Buffalo’s profits and cost savings from sales of its products resulting from its false advertising practices; and
iii. Pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
(l) Awarding Purina such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper.

Purina Pet Foods has a new website, Pet Food Honesty, where the tagline states, “Purina: Where Honesty is Our First Ingredient”. Obviously, the gloves are off. It will be interesting to watch this case and the possible ramifications on truth in labeling and advertising for the pet food industry. We have posted before concerns about pet food labels containing inaccurate ingredient lists. One study showed that over half of the labeled “Grain Free” dog foods actually contained significant amounts of grains. Unfortunately for pet owners, the FDA is doing little to enforce accurate labeling of pet food products.

I must say, I was skeptical of Blue Buffalo since they first appeared on the scene. I thought their “meat is the first ingredient” was deceptive, at best, from the start. The fact is there is nothing wrong with chicken meal if it is high quality chicken meal. In fact, high quality chicken meal is preferable to low quality meat. Blue Buffalo changed ownership a while back as well. From past experience with pet food companies changing ownership, quality can go down hill extremely fast. Your favorite “boutique” pet food could have their manufacturing location moved to Diamond Pet Foods, ground zero for many pet food recalls, after an ownership change and you wouldn’t know about the move unless you were keeping an extremely close watch on where your pet food is being manufactured.

The following is an email we received from a dog owner trying our Freckled Paws Hot Spot on a dog with Sebaceous Adenitis. Carrie has had an issue keeping this dog’s skin healthy for quite some time.

We have been working on a shampoo using the same ingredients found in our Hot Spot. Once we finish the final formulation of the shampoo, it sounds as though we will have an economical treatment for Sebaceous Adenitis. The only issue currently is the cost when the dog has a breakout that covers most of the body. In those cases, treating with Hot Spot would simply be too expensive for most people. [click to continue…]

There has been a substantial increase in the number of dogs presenting with a dry, hacking cough in the Bitterroot Valley. Most are current on their bordatella vaccinations. Consequently, dogs are at risk even though they are current on their vaccinations. The dogs are, obviously, contagious prior to being symptomatic as well.

Is it Kennel Cough?

If this current bug is a form of kennel cough, it is a strain not included in the latest bordatella vaccination. Bordatella vaccinations, similar to human flu vaccines, are dependent on inclusion of the strain currently in the environment to be effective. The Bordatella vaccine also contains Parainfluenza, which is what several of the local veterinarians believe is causing the current infections. [click to continue…]

Tea Tree Oil is an extremely effective skin healing agent that is used in a large number of “natural” pet skin care products. Unfortunately, Tea Tree Oil is highly toxic when ingested and no amount is safe. Let me repeat that again…no amount is safe to ingest.

Tea Tree Oil as a Topical Skin Healing Agent

Typically used on pets as a topical skin healing agent, Tea Tree Oil is responsible for countless pet poisonings. When applying topical products to a pets skin it is impossible to keep them from licking the product. Despite claims to the contrary, there are no safe levels of concentration. All animals, as in humans have differing tolerances to substances. Plenty of pets, too many in fact, have been poisoned by claimed “safe levels” of tea tree oil. When there are so many other ingredients just as effective without the toxicity, why include tea tree oil in any pet product? [click to continue…]